if you could fly

With Firenze clutched to his chest, the young boy moved slowly but surely through the hallways of the large estate. Discovering more and more of the place had quickly become a passtime. Everyday it seemed that he was finding more and more places.

Did this place just never end? He was determined to find out. A determined glint shining in his blue eyes, he sped up. Cooing softly as he moved, he tilted his head up as the hallway gave into a foyer. Stopping in the very middle, he stared up at the high ceiling. Theran hummed softly, cuddling his stuffed centaur closer to him. What would it be like to reach it, to be able to fly at a whim?

He'd like that, to be able to fly, like he'd seen birds and dragons do in books.

Ninette's footsteps echoed down the hall as she walked, a bored expression on her face as she moved about. The days were blending together with a certain monotony that was becoming painful. Her desperation to find something else to do with her time was warring with her complete disinterest in doing anything at all. It was becoming rather troublesome this lethargic nature she was developing.

Ninette needed a pick me up.

Cocking her head to the side, she wasn't sure if the young boy she found in the middle of the foyer would provide it, but she supposed she would give him the chance to try.

"And what do we have here?" her voice rung out softly as she approached the child, "Haven't you explored pretty far all on your own? The little man of the house."

He glanced in the direction of the sound, clutching his stuffed animal closer to his chest. Peering in that direction, the boy took a small step that way. Who was it? A goblin or a human? And if it was a human, which one was it?

Theran's eyes widened in anticipation and he simply waited. Why rush? The person would get there eventually.

Breaking out into a grin at the sound of his cousin, the child carefully made the rest of his way towards her. His grin widened at the compliment and his head bobbed up and down in acknowledgement. Looking back up at the ceiling for a moment, he glanced back at Ninette. Holding up his arms towards her, Firenze slipped out of his grasp. Frowning, he reached down to pick him up, this time tightening his grip on the centaur's neck.

Once he was satisfied that the stuffed animal was secure, he raised his arms up towards Ninette again.

Ninette watched the boy with a silent sort of amusement. There was certainly something about small children that even cold hearted Ninette couldn't deny was endearing. Still, she raised an eyebrow, a tiny little smirk appearing as he raised his arms up to her - an obvious gesture for just one thing.

Being a child or not, did not stop Ninette from being... well Ninette.

"Oh, Oh, quieter maybe, " she cooed, her tone amused if also slightly resigned, as she bent down to pick up the infant, "but you're just a spoiled as your sister."

Pausing a moment she bobbed her finger on the child's nose before dropping it to her side again. Theran was sitting at top of her hip, making it simple for her to hold him up with only one arm.

"Though your sister certainly stole the talking gene from you though. Strong silent type is better anyway. Between you and me Ranny, you'll get the ladies like that."

He looked up at her, a tiny smile pulling his lips upwards and showing the few teeth that the boy possessed. He liked his cousin Ninette. Though he hadn't known her for long - but then again, had he known anyone very long - he had decided that she was nice.

And besides, she was family.

His grin widening as he was lifted off the ground, he moved his stuffed animal into the crook of his arm, allowing him to clap his hands together in glee. Grinning brightly at her, he giggled, reaching over to grasp at locks of her blonde hair, twirling it between his fingers.

Glancing up at her, he nodded once. Why talk if he didn't need to?

"Of course you know that," she cooed, smirking slightly as they began to move again. Standing still wasn't really Ninette's strong suit. She was much happier with the ability to move, to have freedom and agency. Standing still was just too much of a bother. "I always said you were going to be a smart one."

Her voice was as normal as it would be were she talking to anyone. That softened cooing sound people made with small children just downright annoyed her. Sure, they weren't adults, nor were they even teenagers, but did one really need to talk to them like they were idiots? She had heard once that the sing-song tone helped them pick out sounds, helped them grow, but she still couldn't bring herself to see that as anything more then bull. She wouldn't be cause dead doing it. She didn't talk to her dog that way - she certainly wasn't going to talk to her family like that.

Bouncing the boy slightly - it was an unconscious movement - Ninette continued down the halls at a meandering pace, more or less continuing the small child's exploring with the speed of a grown person's legs,"You pull on my hair bucko, and this ride ends. Got it?" She leveled him with a stern look before going off on her own thoughts, "You never did see my hair in all its pink glory."

The little boy cooed, grinning as he looked around. The ceiling was closer from here, and he craned his neck back to get a better look at it, staring up at the pretty designs. Glancing back at his cousin at the sound of her voice, he grinned brightly at the phrase. The smart one. He liked that.

Theran pouted slightly, but he did pull his fingers away from her hair, though he did give the blonde strands one last run through. Hugging Firenze to his chest with one arm, the other arm clutched to Ninette.

Looking around at the halls that they passed, his blue eyes scanned them. Would he ever be able to completely know this place inside out? Looking back up at Ninette, he tilted his head slightly, flicking his gaze back towards her hair. Hair could be pink?

There was something about the contact of the small arms, clinging to her in the friendly, the needy way that would send her confused, and defensive from anyone else, that were eliciting the exact opposite reaction within the girl. Letting out a soft breath, her usual harsh demeanour seemed to be softening.

Rolling her eyes she softly flicked the pouting child's cheeks, "You don't have to stop, numbskull, just don't tug." She then used her free hand to tug on her own hair to illustrate what she didn't want him to do.

"Honestly. Gramps would need to own the biggest place in freakin existence." She shook her head, flashing the small boy a conspiratorial smile, "If you learn the way around here before me, you better tell me the secrets."

Blinking slightly at the unexpected touch, he frowned slightly. Unable to rub at his cheeks, he rubbed the side of his face against her side. Glancing up at her, he nodded slowly. That made sense. Reaching out, he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, nodding again.

Smiling back at her, he let out a little giggle. But she was bigger than he was. How would he do something before her? For a moment, he frowned, but shook it off. He still found it funny.

She smiled softly to herself - a genuine and almost innocent smile. It was an expression that was uncommon to her face, but it still looked in place there. It actually made her look younger, more like the child she still really was. Maybe she would do it more often if she knew or understood the affect the expression had over her person. But she just didn't know how to do it anyway. It was only moments like this that could bring her close to making the expression.

"Oh you don't think its possible do you?" She raised an eyebrow at the giggle, schooling her expression back to something serious. "You dare to doubt me and my words?"

She stuck out her tongue and then let out a tiny laugh, "I'll bet you do it anyway. I told you, you're the smart one."

She had a nice smile, he decided, peering up at her with wide blue eyes. She was happy and he liked it when people were happy. Especially when they smiled like she did. His lips curled upwards as he tried to copy her smile, but he just couldn't replicate it.

Theran giggled even louder at her words, his grin widening. There was something about the difference between her expression and her words that amused him.

Cuddling his stuffed animal closer, he glanced around them for a moment before looking back up at his cousin. Sticking his tongue out at her, he offered a toothy grin.

Ninette watched the boy attempt to mirror her grin and just gave a time little laugh of her own, brushing his nose with her free hand before she shook her head slightly and took a moment to look at their surroundings.

"What do you say we sneak into the kitchen?" her eyes were mischievousness in a way that was almost completely innocent, not darkened with her usual jaded bitterness, "Bet we can find a treat in there. It can be our secret."

Winking she spun them both around, the twirl completely out of character for her, before she continued down another hall in the direction of the kitchen.